Table 3.
Pharmacotherapy in the past year
| n=486 (%)* | |
|---|---|
| Type of analgesic prescribers** | |
| Primary-care physician | 486 (100.0) |
| Specialist | 193 (39.7) |
| Orthopedic surgeon | 35 (7.2) |
| Neurologist or neurosurgeon | 32 (6.6) |
| Psychiatrist | 29 (6.0) |
| Rheumatologist | 28 (5.8) |
| Specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation | 20 (4.1) |
| Anaesthesiologist | 13 (2.7) |
| Number of primary-care physicians analgesics prescribers per patient | |
| 1 primary-care physician | 229 (47.1) |
| 2 primary-care physicians | 146 (30.0) |
| 3 or more primary-care physicians | 111 (22.8) |
| Number of pharmacy visits to acquire analgesics, mean (SD) | 22.4 (26.1) |
| Number of dispensed analgesics, mean (SD) | 4.2 (2.2) |
| 1–2 analgesics | 118 (24.3) |
| 3–5 analgesics | 255 (52.5) |
| 6 or more analgesics | 113 (23.3) |
| Prevalence by class of analgesic dispensed** | |
| Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs | 350 (72.0) |
| Opioids | 319 (65.6) |
| Anticonvulsants | 295 (60.7) |
| Antidepressants | 242 (49.8) |
| Acetaminophen | 138 (28.4) |
| Muscle relaxants | 126 (25.9) |
| Prevalence of use of OTC analgesics‡,§ | 197 (40.8) |
| Prevalence of most often used OTC analgesics‡ | |
| Acetaminophen | 119 (24.5) |
| Ibuprofen | 43 (8.8) |
| Glucosamine | 32 (6.6) |
| Collagen | 17 (3.5) |
| Prevalence of constipation | |
| Not experienced | 124 (25.5) |
| Mild | 138 (28.4) |
| Moderate to severe | 220 (45.3) |
| Prevalence of nausea and vomiting | |
| Not experienced | 219 (45.1) |
| Mild | 170 (35.0) |
| Moderate to severe | 93 (19.1) |
| Prevalence of heartburn and stomach aches | |
| Not experienced | 165 (34.0) |
| Mild | 156 (32.1) |
| Moderate to severe | 164 (33.7) |
Notes:
*
Unless otherwise indicated;
**
more than one answer possible;
‡
prevalence for past 6 months;
§
data missing for three patients.
Abbreviations: n, number; OTC, over-the-counter; SD, standard deviation.